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So, by now you know that the Dodger Cogs and Dogs rankings have always been a mixture of subjectivity and objectivity. For today's batch, there was an additional factor throw into the mix: exasperation.

In more cheerful news, Single-A Rancho Cucamonga scored 25 runs Wednesday, with Angelo Songco hitting for the cycle.

Today	5/5	4/28	4/7	Player	Comment
1	1	1	2	Matt Kemp	According to Fangraphs, the best CF in the NL in 2011.
2	4	4	1	Clayton Kershaw	Will contend for NL strikeout title, but I'm guessing not wins.
3	3	3	4	Hiroki Kuroda	Rough outing Sunday lifted his ERA above 3.00 and slowed his All-Star bid.
4	2	2	3	Andre Ethier	Enters the final days of May with one homer, no doubles in the month.
5	9	6	5	Jamey Carroll	Leads MLB shortstops in OBP.
6	6	7	18	Chad Billingsley	His 0.64 HR/9 is best by a Dodger since Hershiser (minimum 800 IP).
7	16	14	--	Jerry Sands	Fourth on the team in RBI, and closing in on Uribe.
8	11	11	13	Mike MacDougal	Pitched three consecutive days for first time since September '09.
9	13	9	6	Rod Barajas	Kemp and Barajas have combined for 19 of Dodgers' 36 HR.
10	17	18	14	Ted Lilly	Despite allowing 10th homer in 11th start, moved ahead of Garland in ERA.
11	5	8	--	Jon Garland	ERA rose from 3.55 to 4.75 in last start.
12	8	10	25	Juan Uribe	From May 13-18, went from five to 11 walks.
13	20	21	20	Aaron Miles	Last Dodger to bat at least .280 with OBP below .300: Wilton Guerrero.
14	12	12	8	Matt Guerrier	Gave up first extra-base hit of 2011 to a lefty in ninth inning Weds.
15	10	15	22	Blake Hawksworth	Struck out two in shutout inning Wednesday for Rancho Cucamonga.
16	7	5	10	Casey Blake	Reached base 29 times in his 14 games.
17	18	20	24	Kenley Jansen	Ferocious strikeout rate should help him avoid pulling a Yhency.
18	30	--	--	Jay Gibbons	Second-most total bases (51) in Dodger history for player with below 30 career hits. (Marlon Anderson)
19	--	--	--	Javy Guerra	Unscored upon in five of six appearances.
20	21	22	15	A.J. Ellis	.443 OBP in Albuquerque, 12 walks, four strikeouts.
21	--	--	--	Scott Elbert	Opponents are 1 for 11 with one walk this year.
22	--	--	--	Rubby De La Rosa	Pedro Martinez shut out Reds in eighth and ninth inning of MLB debut.
23	32	23	17	James Loney	0-for-4 Wednesday ended 10-game hitting streak.
24	15	19	--	Vicente Padilla	June will come with only 8 2/3 innings under his belt.
25	19	16	9	Jonathan Broxton	For a guy who claimed not to be hurt for so long, sure out a long time.
26	22	13	19	Marcus Thames	Gibbons has surged ahead with eight hits to Thames' six.
27	27	29	--	Dioner Navarro	Went 4 for 12 subbing for Barajas in Houston.
28	14	17	12	Tony Gwynn Jr.	This month: 1 for 24 with two walks, one steal.
29	25	27	11	Xavier Paul	In 3-for-25 slump for Pittsburgh.
30	29	--	--	Russ Mitchell	Most total bases (19) in Dodger history for player with below 10 career hits.
31	--	--	--	Juan Castro	In 17th MLB season, got 600th career hit Saturday.
32	26	26	--	John Ely	Has 3.78 ERA, compared to 6.19 for spring rival Redding.
33	35	33	--	Ramon Troncoso	The impossible dream - out of last place.
34	28	30	21	Hector Gimenez	Has same birthday as my brother, and one more career hit.
35	31	31	--	Jamie Hoffmann	Isotopes' HR leader with nine this year.
36	23	24	7	Rafael Furcal	They say he was rushed back, but he was 5 for 13 with three walks in Alb.
37	33	27	26	Ivan De Jesus Jr.	Has one double, no HR in 51 AB for Albuquerque.
38	24	25	16	Hong-Chih Kuo	Last May, pitched 10 2/3 innings, six baserunners, no runs, 15 K.
39	34	32	23	Lance Cormier	Lefties were 5 for 28 against him.

Fifteen Dodger pitchers have Spring Training ERAs of 0.00, so it's not exactly a rare feat at this stage of 2010. But it's fair to tip one's hat to Ramon Ortiz, who has extended his scoreless string to nine innings (with seven baserunners and 11 strikeouts) after throwing four shutout frames today in the Dodgers' 4-0 victory over the Angels.

It doesn't mean that Ortiz will end 2010 a better pitcher than Scott Elbert, who had some soreness about as soon as Spring Training began and was optioned to the minors today with a 20.25 ERA. But it does mean that Ortiz has made himself a very real part of the No. 5 starter conversation, along with fellow 0.00ers Eric Stults, Russ Ortiz and Carlos Monasterios.

I emphasize the word "conversation" because we are still three weeks away from Opening Day, which means we're still at the talking stage as opposed to the decision stage. The Ortizii also operate at a disadvantage to Stults, Monasterios and Charlie Haeger, all of whom the Dodgers would lose if they're not on the April 5 roster. As I wrote last month, neither Ortiz (combined age: 73) has had a major-league ERA below 5.00 since 2004. So this isn't just a question of turning over a new leaf - did they upend the entire tree?

Predictably, there's all kinds of talk of Ramon Ortiz succeeding by adjusting to his limitations, as seen here in Tom Singer's MLB.com article this afternoon. Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that Ortiz benefited by learning to throw a curveball in Japan in 2008. I'm not ruling it all out – nor am I ruling out the possibility that Ortiz will leapfrog the others and earn a spot on the staff in April. I just happen to still have major doubts that we'll be waxing positive about Ortiz in September.

* * *

When Spring Training began, there were at least two spots on the pitching staff open for competition. But now there could be as many as five – if Ronald Belisario begins the year on the restricted list, if Hong-Chih Kuo begins the year on the disabled list and if the team goes with a 12-man staff. (At this point, my bets would be: yes, no, yes.)

There are at least 10 remaining candidates: Ortiz, Ortiz, Stults, Haeger, Monasterios, Jon Link, James McDonald, Josh Towers, Justin Miller and Jeff Weaver. Too soon to say what will happen, but the most intriguing decision might be whether McDonald will be in the Dodger bullpen or the Isotopes starting rotation, alongside Elbert.

* * *

• Trayvon Robinson Saturday, Brian Cavazos-Galvez Sunday and Angelo Songco today – all hitting no-doubter home runs. I can't remember a Spring Training when the Dodgers got homers in three consecutive games from players 22-and-under – two of them not even out of A ball yet. Fun.
• Argenis Reyes, Brent Leach, Travis Schlichting and Ivan De Jesus, Jr. were sent to the minors this afternoon.
• Doug Mientkiewicz has a .421 on-base percentage in Spring Training after going 2 for 3 today; Garret Anderson is at .400 (2 for 5 in two games).
• There will be a memorial service for Willie Davis on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, according to The Associated Press.
• Now that "Sugar" is making the rounds on cable and DVD – Josh Wilker wrote about it today at Cardboard Gods – it's time for any of you who ignored my recommendation to see it to go see it already!
• Update: What do Jamie McCourt and Leslie Knope have in common? The ambition to be President of the United States, according to Bill Shaikin of the Times.